It is well known that coolers are portable insulated containers that are used to keep food and drinks cool. Coolers are generally used at various outdoor events and gatherings where refrigeration is not widely available. One of the most common items stored within coolers at various outdoor events and gatherings are aluminium beverage cans. Aluminium beverage cans are widely preferred to other beverage containers due to their ease of storage and the inherent properties of the aluminium body to quickly transfer heat, allowing an aluminium beverage can to be cooled faster than a glass or plastic beverage container. Furthermore many outdoor events and gatherings restrict the use of glass bottles due to safety concerns associated with broken glass.
A typical cooler configuration found at many outdoor events and gatherings are coolers with an integrated wheel assembly. These coolers with an integrated wheel assembly provide a user with a facilitated means of transporting a fully stocked cooler over greater distances. These coolers generally comprise a typical cooler housing with a wheel assembly positioned at one end and an elongated handle positioned at the opposite end. A user would transport these coolers by raising the elongated handle pivoting the coolers about the wheel assembly. With the cooler pivoting on the wheel assembly the user would be able to pull the cooler with only the wheel assembly engages ground. By providing a cooler with an integrated wheel assembly, the user would be able to transport a greater quantity of food and beverages to an outdoor event or gathering.
A typical problem faced by many event goers is the disposal of the empty aluminium beverage cans. Similar to other beverage containers, users are encouraged to recycle aluminium beverage cans rather than simply throw them away. In some areas, empty aluminium beverage cans can be brought to recycling centers and exchanged for a small sum of money. As a result, many users choose to take their empty aluminium beverage cans home with them. While the benefits of recycling are well known, transporting empty aluminium beverage cans following an outdoor event can be cumbersome and inconvenient. This is mostly due to the volume taken up by the empty aluminium beverage cans.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a combination cooler and can crusher that allows users to compact empty aluminium beverage cans for facilitated transport. The present invention combines a cooler with an integrated wheel assembly with a can crushing mechanism. The present invention allows a user to transport a large quantity of food and beverage items to an event and provides the user with a means to compact emptied aluminium beverages cans for facilitated transport upon leaving said event. The present invention accomplishes this by integrating the can crushing mechanism with the elongated handle of the cooler with integrated wheel assembly.